Baseball: Dodgers win bidding for Korean pitcher

LOS ANGELES - The Dodgers have won the negotiating bid on Korean left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu, worth a reported $25.7 million.

They now have 30 days to negotiate a contract with Ryu, who went 98-52 with a 2.80 career earned-run average during seven seasons (2006-12) with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization.

"We are thrilled to have this exciting opportunity," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said in a statement. "We have watched Ryu pitch for a long time and he is another option to consider as we look to improve our team in 2013 and beyond.

"We'd like to thank the Hanwha Eagles and we look forward to meeting Ryu and beginning the negotiation process very soon."

Ryu led the KBO in wins, strikeouts and ERA as a rookie in 2006. Last season he went 9-9 with a 2.66 ERA and 210 strikeouts in 182 2/3 innings. Ryu has been chosen a KBO all-star every year of his career.

The 25-year-old also pitched for the Korean national team that won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, in which he was 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA in two starts. In 2009 he helped Korea reach the championship game of the World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium. He made five appearances and was 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA.

According to several reports, Ryu is major-league ready. He reportedly throws a fastball in the 90-95 mph range among a four-pitch repertoire.

Colletti is interested in adding a second or third starter and also has targeted free agent right-handers Hiroki Kuroda and Anibal Sanchez, who likely will command longer and more expensive contracts this winter.

The bid for Ryu trails the Texas Rangers' $51.7 million bid for Yu Darvish in 2006 and the Boston Red Sox's $51.1 million bid for Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2011, the two highest bids for Asian players. Matsuzaka and Ryu are both represented by agent Scott Boras.

If no deal is reached, the Dodgers would keep the posting fee and Ryu would return to the Eagles. He is eligible to be a free agent in 2014.

The Dodgers made Chan Ho Park the first Korean-born pitcher to play in a major-league game in 1994. Eleven other Koreans have since reached MLB.